Japan’s World Heritage Sites

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As of February 2025, Japan proudly hosts 26 World Heritage Sites, each contributing uniquely to global heritage.

1 Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area Nara 1993 cultural
2 Himeji Castle Hyogo 1993 cultural
3 Yakushima Kagoshima 1993 natural
4 Shirakami-Sanchi Aomori and Akita 1993 natural
5 Cultural Assets of the Ancient Capital of Kyoto (Kyoto City, Uji City, Otsu City) Kyoto and Shiga 1994 cultural
6 Shirakawa-go and Gokayama Gassho-style Villages Gifu and Toyama 1995 cultural
7 Atomic Bomb Dome Hiroshima 1996 cultural
8 Itsukushima Shrine Hiroshima 1996 cultural
9 Cultural Assets of the Ancient Capital of Nara Nara 1998 cultural
10 Shrines and Temples of Nikko Tochigi 1999 cultural
11 Gusuku and Related Properties of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus Okinawa 2000 cultural
12 Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range Mie, Nara, Wakayama 2004 cultural
13 Shiretoko Hokkaido 2005 natural
14 Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Site and its Cultural Landscape Shimane 2007 cultural
15 Ogasawara Islands Tokyo 2011 natural
16 Hiraizumi – Architecture, gardens and archaeological sites representing the Buddhist Pure Land – Iwate 2011 cultural
17 Mount Fuji: an object of worship and a source of artistic inspiration Yamanashi and Shizuoka 2013 cultural
18 Tomioka Silk Mill and Silk Industry Heritage Sites Gunma 2014 cultural
19 Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution Heritage Sites: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Yamaguchi, Iwate, Shizuoka 2015 cultural
20 Le Corbusier’s Architectural Works – Outstanding Contributions to the Modern Architectural Movement – Tokyo 2016 cultural
21 “The Sacred Island” – Okinoshima and Associated Heritage Sites in Munakata Fukuoka 2017 cultural
22 Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki and the Amakusa Region Nagasaki and Kumamoto 2018 cultural
23 Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group – Ancient Japanese Tombs Osaka 2019 cultural
24 Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island Kagoshima and Okinawa 2021 natural
25 Jomon ruins in Hokkaido and northern Tohoku Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita 2021 cultural
26 Gold Mine of Sado Island Niigata 2024 cultural